Chicago Recycling Re-education Effort

Chicago Recycling Bin
David Hilowitz / Flickr
Chicago Recycling Bin
David Hilowitz / Flickr

Chicago Recycling Re-education Effort

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If you haven’t taken down your Christmas tree yet, now is the time. 

Chicago park districts are recycling Christmas trees for free until Jan. 21. The trees will be turned into reusable mulch and recycling trees divert waste from landfills — something sorely needed in Chicago, whose overall recycling rate has declined for the third year in a row

Recent reports show that Chicago is only recycling about 9 percent of its waste — compared to cities like San Francisco, California, which has a recycling rate of around 80 percent, and Austin, Texas, which has a rate of about 42 percent. 

City officials are looking to re-educate the public to go more green. So why aren’t Chicagoans recycling? Morning Shift spoke with Chris Sauve, deputy commissioner for the Department of Streets and Sanitation, about the city’s recycling re-education effort.